I am not Catholic, but it does not prevent me from appreciating the beauty of St Mary’s Cathedral.

When the first archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church in Australia commissioned the design of the Cathedral to William Wardell (the then most prominent architect of the Gothic Revival moment – the architect of St John’s College at the Sydney University) in 1865 after the original Cathedral was destroyed in a fire, his only request was “Any plan, any style, anything that is beautiful and grand, to the extent of our power.” A job very well done indeed.

Hyde Park is Australia’s oldest park, and a luxuriously big patch of greenland right in the busy Sydney CBD. It’s where city workers do their lunchtime sun-baking, and a convenient meeting point where the people of Sydney gather for various events and festivals.

Oh, and you guessed it right, it was named after the original Hyde Park in London.

Let me take you on a virtual tour of this iconic Sydney park through my collection of photos that I have taken over the years.

Sydney Mardi Gras parade is one of Sydney’s most internationally famous festivals. Not sure what it is? It is commonly known as the gay and lesbian parade and the Sydney Mardi Gras is the largest of its kind in the world. Like our society, it has evolved over its 37 years of history and is nowadays the most extravagant and glamorous parade in Australia.

I have been to three Mardi Gras parades over the past years, each time I was moved by the strong sense of unity created by the celebration of diversity.

Balmoral Beach has always been a personal favourite for me, mainly because it’s home to Sydney’s best fish & chips (more on this later). The only downsides are the notoriously bad traffic and the outrageously high parking fees – at $9 an hour (!), we call this the rich people’s beach.

Nonetheless, I have recently rekindled my love for Balmoral because we discovered the cute and upbeat Boat House on the other side of the beach, as well as the shark-net enclosed ocean pool right in front of it!

One night, I saw a friend’s Facebook photos of her posing with a blue Opera House…wait, BLUE? When did the Opera House change colours? I immediately Googled “Opera House different colour” and found out what it was all about on the Vivid Sydney website. Little people knew about the event, we just sat there looking at the Opera House changed colours, as if it was putting on a show just for the two of us. It was one of the most romantic nights that Mike and I had in the early days of our relationship.

That was in 2009, the year Vivid Sydney was inaugurated.

Since then, Vivid Sydney has become an annual event. The crowd it attracts has grown exponentially over the years and it is now one of the most iconic and festive Sydney events.

October is the official “foodies month” in Sydney. Indeed, the whole month is known as the “Good Food Month”, being a month-long culinary celebration all around Sydney.

The Night Noodle Market is the signature event of the Good Food Month, so much so it becomes a common greeting in October in the Sydney CBD: “Have you been to the Noodle Market yet?” and everyone’s Facebook is bombarded with Night Noodle Market check-ins.

So, what’s so special about the Night Noodle Market? Well, to be honest, not much. But, Sydneysiders’ love for night markets and foodie festivals means a full-house turnout at the Noodle Market every single year.

[Photos from both 2012 and 2014 Festival of the Winds. Blog written in September 2014.]

The Festival of the Winds is held annually on Bondi Beach and it’s one of the most colourful events that signals the start of Sydney spring. On the day, the sky above one of Sydney’s most beautiful beaches turns into a mid-air playground with hundreds, if not thousands, of kites flying against the gentle ocean breeze.

There is always something going on in Sydney. One of the biggest artsy events in the City of Sydney is Art and About. It is a collaborative arts festival where streets, laneways and corners of Sydney are turned into a creative art canvas.

If you happen to visit Sydney in late September to October, then you are in luck – be prepared to find a surprise in every corner all around the city of Sydney.

Welcome to Bondi Beach, one of Sydney’s most incredible and famous beaches. It’s the iconic Sydney location for all sorts of large-scale events, such as the City2Surf, Festival of the Winds, and my favourite Sculpture by the Sea.